Shadow Empire

Chapter 1091 Interception, Choice, and Crossroads
The car slowly came to a stop. Prosecutor Crown gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands due to nervousness, but he still turned around to comfort his wife.

"Don't worry, they just want to talk to me. Everything will be over, everything will be alright."

However, such reassurances were not very effective. When the entire convoy stopped him in the open field, even the air seemed to become thorny.

With every breath, I could feel fear and pain emanating from within!

The convoy stopped, and someone came out of the car and knocked on the window. Prosecutor Crown turned to look at the person outside the window, and after watching the other person make a gesture to roll down the window, waited a few seconds, and then quickly rolled down the window.

"What's the problem, gentlemen?" he asked, trying to appear as relaxed as possible, like an innocent person.

But his acting was terrible. He wasn't a qualified politician in the true sense; he was just a prosecutor who wanted to climb the ladder and would only read out charges with a stern face when necessary.

He's not a politician, so he can't control his emotions and expressions very well.

His slightly twitching eyes and uneasy, trembling fingers betrayed his inner tension.

The young man standing outside the car shook his head. "Come out, let's talk over there."

He glanced at Mrs. Cronn and a bewildered child sitting in the back seat. “We try to prevent these things from spreading to people who have nothing to do with them, but first you need to cooperate.”

Prosecutor Crown glanced at his wife and children again in the rearview mirror, took a deep breath, and forced a smile. "Of course, why not?"

He opened the car door, continued to look at his wife through the rearview mirror, and whispered, "I'll be back soon."

After saying that, he jumped out of the car and went with the young man to the roadside not far away.

You shouldn't have done that.

The young man standing in front of Prosecutor Crowne first commented on his actions, "Mr. Lance has other matters to attend to and cannot come in person, so I am here on his behalf to speak with you."

“You can call me Allen, that’s what everyone calls me.”

Allen was dressed very elegantly. It seems that when people reach this stage and become wealthy, no longer worrying about acquiring and spending money, they will try to make their outward appearance match their inner qualities.

Wealth, status, and influence.

When he lifted his thin coat, a gleaming gold pocket watch chain was revealed inside.

Actually... he rarely takes a serious look at a pocket watch, but such things have been popular in the Federation for a long time as a "standard accessory for gentlemen," even now.

If you disregard his job and past actions, he appears more like a socialite than a gangster.

He pulled out a cigarette case, took out two cigarettes, and handed one to Prosecutor Crown. "You should know what I'm talking about."

Prosecutor Crown looked at the cigarette offered to him, but eventually took it and lit it himself with his own lighter.

He took only one puff, and after a brief silence, said, "I know."

He originally wanted to make excuses, but after thinking about it, he couldn't figure out how to do so.

This is not a normal investigation. If it were a normal case investigation, he could have said that it was a task assigned by the superior procuratorate.

This is not an investigation; it's a frame-up, a trap. This is not within the scope of a normal investigation.

He had no other choice but to accept the outcome.

Allen looked at his obedient appearance and a mocking smile appeared on his face.

He glanced back at Mrs. Cronn and their child in the car, and waved to the child, "A very pretty child, is it a boy?"

Prosecutor Crown's voice trembled slightly. He pursed his lips tightly, his gaze initially lowered to the ground, then slowly rose to look directly into Allen's eyes. "Don't mess with my family."

Looking at his serious expression, Allen couldn't help but find it a little funny. "You started this, Mr. Prosecutor."

One sentence weakened Prosecutor Crown's momentum considerably. The stern, almost murderous expression on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by a pleading look.

"This has nothing to do with them. Come at me if you have any problems."

Allen curled his lip. "You've probably wanted to deal with us for a long time, so you should have studied some files about us. Haven't the lessons learned from them made you a little more mature?"

"When will we give people the opportunity for revenge?"

"Unless they are lucky and just miss it, we will handle everything."

"The boss said that hatred can drive people crazy, and we don't want to face those reckless lunatics, so we cut off the development of their destiny before they go crazy."

He took a deep breath. "Who told you to do this?"

“Say this name, and half your problem will be solved.”

Prosecutor Crown remained silent, unsure whether he should speak.

His reason told him not to say anything. Once it got out, if Lance did anything to the Attorney General, whatever it was, he would know that he had betrayed his information.

Because only Prosecutor Crown knows who ordered him to do this. As for whether there are higher-ups, he doesn't know, nor does he need to know. He only needs to identify the person above him.

So this is a very difficult choice. If he chooses to reveal what these people are interested in, it means that he will have no room to survive in the prosecutor's office or in the judicial field.

But if he didn't speak up, he was worried that this guy named Allen would harm his family, so he could only remain silent for now.

Allen took a drag of his cigarette and said softly, "Your friend, the gang leader, what was his name again..."

He couldn't quite remember the name of this minor character, "Anyway, he's your friend. He's very clever. We don't need to use any tricks; he just eagerly said your name."

"There's no point in resisting, Mr. Prosecutor, because we have too many bargaining chips, while you only have one, and it's the cheapest one!"

Prosecutor Kron seemed to be trembling slightly, realizing at that moment that he was not as strong as he had always imagined.

Everyone has had similar thoughts about what they would do when faced with an extremely unfavorable situation.

During the process of "hypothesis-making," people's thinking tends to be more objective and rational.

Because the hypothetical events didn't actually happen to them, they were able to think about the issues rationally and objectively.

They will give an answer that everyone thinks is correct, and they will never compromise in the face of danger or threats, even if it means death, they will never reveal a secret.

But when they actually face this choice, the weakness of human nature is exposed under the immense subjective fear.

“If I tell you…”, Prosecutor Crown looked at Allen, “can you let me leave?”

Allen suddenly laughed. "You know what?"

"Your friend asked the same question at the end: Do you know where he is now?"

Almost instinctively, Prosecutor Crown's face grew increasingly grim, even though he had long suspected something about the missing gang members.

Even after his guess was confirmed, he was still shocked, angry, and terrified by its occurrence!

However, these emotions ultimately turned into a deep sense of helplessness.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette. "It was the Attorney General; he made me do it."

"If you want to deal with me, then come on!"

"Please spare my family."

“Take me somewhere far away and tell my son that I’ve gone out to work and won’t be back for a long time.”

He took several puffs of his cigarette, seemingly trying to relieve his tension and fear by smoking.

When he felt the cigarette burning his fingers, he slammed it to the ground and glared at Allen menacingly. "Come on, take me away, then kill me!" Allen stared at him for about seven or eight seconds, then smiled. "You know what?"

"Actually, your behavior just now is quite different from your decision. I didn't expect you to be this kind of person."

He pursed his lips, a mixture of disdain and admiration.

"You should be grateful for your status and Mr. Lance's kindness. We will not harm you. On the contrary, we will give you many benefits and opportunities to help you climb higher."

"But there's a prerequisite: you have to send us the message in a timely manner. That's the other half of solving your problem."

Surviving, after such a dramatic turn of events, seemed to be the biggest surprise for Prosecutor Crown at this moment!

He had mentally prepared himself to be killed in order to protect his wife and family.

He had indeed read various files about the Lance family and knew that they advocated ruthless extermination, which was the case for most federal gangsters and politicians.

Therefore, he had absolutely no wishful thinking.

If he could save his wife and child by sacrificing his own life, he thought it was a worthwhile deal; at least two people would survive, in exchange for his own life!

But it seems that the situation is a little different now.

Allen pulled out an envelope and placed it in his hand. "Here is a bank draft for 100,000 dollars. You can cash it at any bank."

"Then there was another card with Boss's, Mr. Lance's, phone number on it."

"If you have any information about us, you can call this number to communicate with him."

"Of course you can refuse, but you know what the outcome will be."

"Friend or foe?"

Some say that when a person faces death for the first time and can grit their teeth and not give in, they will become braver when facing the threat of death in the future!
Some people do feel this way, but many more will feel even greater fear!

Those who have never been close to death will never know how suffocating the oppressive feeling of death can be at that moment.

Prosecutor Crown, who had already "broken through" once, was such a person. He looked down at the exquisite envelope in Allen's hand, and after thinking for a while, he took the envelope and put it in his pocket.

"Then I will report to Mr. Lance when I get back that you are now our friend?"

Prosecutor Kron nodded after a long pause, as if the act itself had exhausted him.

Allen patted his arm. "See? It's not hard at all."

“I’m giving you a piece of advice: don’t try to fool us. Even if you live in Oris and under the protection of the state government, we still have enough patience to hunt you down.”

He turned to look at Mrs. Crone and little Crone sitting in the carriage. "Your family doesn't want anything to happen to you either!"

The last sentence seems like an emotional reassurance, but it is actually a threatening intention!

"Okay, I still need to go back and report to Mr. Lance. We've gained another good friend!"

After a while, the convoy turned around and left. Prosecutor Crown watched them leave for a long time before smoking another cigarette outside the car and returning to the carriage.

"Those people just now..."

Prosecutor Crown replied casually, "I said, it's all in the past."

At that moment, he suddenly understood why so many people wanted to deal with Lance: because Lance was too rich!
Moreover, he is willing to spend money, which is his advantage and strength.

He could give Senator Cleveland and his cronies virtually unlimited funds to bribe whoever they wanted.

At the same time, Lance can be used to eliminate those who try to threaten the entire interest group. They are in cahoots, and it's not just a relationship of domination and subjugation!
Upon realizing this, Prosecutor Crown instinctively thought of many things related to the case investigation, but he quickly dismissed them, because he was no longer the same person he was a few minutes ago.

Now it seems that he has also stepped into this interest group, becoming a part of it.

If he doesn't stay close to the core, he and his family might die.

He knew Lance's methods; he was good at creating "accidents," such as car accidents, electrical leaks, and gas explosions, all of which were likely part of his schemes.

Almost subconsciously, he touched the pocket inside his shirt, where the promissory note and contact information were. He could sense these things; this was the largest single bribe he had ever received since he started working as a prosecutor after graduating from university.

But at this moment, it is a talisman, protecting him and his family's lives.

The car sped along the intercontinental highway, with no pursuers behind, but he still pressed the accelerator all the way down, as if something was still closely following him.

His wife gradually relaxed, her gaze constantly shifting between her husband and child, seemingly lost in thought.

The following afternoon, they arrived in Oris, where he met the Attorney General in the state attorney general's office.

"Was the journey smooth?" the Attorney General asked.

Prosecutor Kron nodded, a look of guilt on his face. "I didn't handle this matter well."

Although the Attorney General has already considered putting him on hold, he hasn't started doing so immediately. If he were to be put on hold right away because of something he couldn't do, what would others think?

Some jobs require initiative, rather than being forced to do something after being called upon. He had to give Prosecutor Crown some work first, and then leave him idle after a while.

So at this moment, there was no blaming expression on his face at all. He just smiled and said, "It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. And this is not your fault. We didn't expect the Lance family to be so cautious."

As the Attorney General, he was qualified to communicate directly with senior officials of the local hazardous materials administration by phone, and he knew the entire process of the case.

The plan itself was successful; the Lance family really intended to complete the deal with them, but the first shipment they sent was soft drinks.

If the Hazardous Goods Administration had delayed their actions and waited until the buyer inspected the goods and discovered they weren't alcohol, they might have delivered the real alcohol instead.

Strictly speaking, the trap failed because they underestimated the vigilance of the Lance family, thinking that their goods were eager to enter Jinzhou, so they were careless.

Even if the Attorney General had come in person, the results probably wouldn't have been much better, but he wouldn't have used this method—

He would let this small gang and Lance's group conduct normal transactions a few times before trying to lure them in. By then, the two sides would have established basic trust, increasing the chances of success.

Ultimately, Prosecutor Crown's competence was still somewhat lacking.

His gaze settled on this subordinate who didn't seem particularly capable. After a few seconds, he said, "I happen to have a few cases here. If you don't mind, you can try them out first."

He handed over two files, saying, "And also, let me introduce you to the colleagues here."

These two cases are actually very tricky, not the ordinary kind of cases. De-gangsterization has become a consensus.

The fact that it passed the congressional vote, including by Senator Cleveland, shows that they essentially support it as well.

They simply don't support taking action against Lance, or against their own gang, or rather, against the glove, the figures in the public eye.

But I support the overall direction.

Two gangs have been entrenched in Oris for years, locked in a fierce battle with each other. No matter how complex and unpredictable the changes in the upper echelons of federal politics may be, these things still need to be done.

The Attorney General may not be limited to this year. If he aligns his position and actions with those of higher authorities, he can continue to serve.

Those who have never held power will never know that power is highly addictive; anyone who has been tainted by power is unwilling to give it up.

If he can eliminate these two major gangs, it will greatly enhance his reputation and prestige within the new government and Parliament, which will help him continue as Attorney General or even get promoted further!

As for Prosecutor Crown's inability to handle this case?
That would be a good opportunity for him to do some ordinary work.

He smiled slightly, very satisfied with his arrangement; it was quite artistic.

(End of this chapter)